Pro Sports Blogging » Jonathan Fawkeshttp://www.prosportsblogging.com
24/7 Real Sports TalkTue, 31 Mar 2015 16:43:46 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.25 Intriguing Storylines for the 2014-2015 NBA Seasonhttp://www.prosportsblogging.com/2014/10/21/5-intriguing-storylines-for-the-2014-2015-nba-season/
http://www.prosportsblogging.com/2014/10/21/5-intriguing-storylines-for-the-2014-2015-nba-season/#commentsWed, 22 Oct 2014 03:24:41 +0000Jonathan Fawkeshttp://www.prosportsblogging.com/?p=103778Interest in the NBA is predicated on narratives and storylines from both a current and historical perspective. Since only a handful of teams have a realistic shot at winning the title, each team and fan base must eventually come to terms with their own expectations and goals for the season. For example, Kobe Bryant is [...]]]>

Interest in the NBA is predicated on narratives and storylines from both a current and historical perspective. Since only a handful of teams have a realistic shot at winning the title, each team and fan base must eventually come to terms with their own expectations and goals for the season. For example, Kobe Bryant is still chasing the ghost of Michael Jordan and his six rings even if any rational person knows this is not happening with their roster. Kobe will have to settle for chasing the all time scoring record instead. The landscape of the league can change dramatically in a year as we have seen the best player in the world change teams and already several injuries to stars such as Paul George, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. With a new season starting in a week, here are five intriguing narratives I will be following as the season progresses:

What are reasonable expectations for the Cavaliers in their first season together?

With the arrival of LeBron James and Kevin Love the Cavaliers will be under a similar microscope as the Heat have been for the past four seasons. The expectations will be championship or bust even if that is a lofty goal for a new roster and a first year head coach. It took the Heat two years to establish their small ball identity and win their first of two titles. One advantage that this Cavs team has is that LeBron is a better fit with Kyrie Irving and Love, whereas Wade and LeBron had some overlap in skill set as wing players. Surrounding LeBron with shooters has been a proven recipe for success and the thought of LeBron-Love pick and rolls will be nightmares for defenses.

Expectations for the new "Big Three" in Cleveland will be championship or bust

It will be fascinating to see how this narrative changes as the season goes on and who will become the scapegoat for any struggles that the team has. If they get off to a slow start then there will be questions about whether or not Love and Irving can contribute to a winning team while sacrificing their own stats. David Blatt will be under extreme pressure to implement a defensive system that masks their lack of rim protection while leveraging their defensive rebounding abilities with Love and Anderson Varejao. Luckily for the Cavs, their only real competition in the East is the Bulls after the Paul George injury took the Pacers out of the picture. In the playoffs it will be interesting to see what their optimal lineups are and how Love and Kyrie perform in their first taste of the playoffs.

How will the Russell Westbrook narrative evolve as he leads the Thunder without Kevin Durant in the lineup?

Russell Westbrook is one of the more polarizing figures in the NBA, praised equally for his competitive fire and athleticism as he is chastised for taking ill advised pull up 20 footers in transition. Without Durant in the lineup Westbrook will shoulder the scoring load for the Thunder while also needing to get his teammates involved. If Westbrook and the Thunder succeed in Durant’s absence then Westbrook will be elevated beyond his second banana status to Durant and the narrative about how they will adjust to Durant’s return may even become a real storyline. If Westbrook puts up great numbers but the team struggles then the critics will use confirmation bias to deem him a selfish player who cannot carry a team by himself. The Thunder have put themselves and Westbrook in a difficult situation as they have failed to surround their two superstars with adequate talent and have been unwilling to go over the salary cap. Teams only have certain championship windows and a scary thought for the Thunder is that the only remnants of the James Harden trade are Steven Adams and Jeremy Lamb, both of whom will need to step up in Durant’s absence. Westbrook shot only 37% with Durant off the court last season, a number he will have to improve for the Thunder to win games without Durant.

How many games will the 76ers win?

Many will forget that the 76ers started the season 3-0 last year, with impressive wins over the Heat, Wizards and Bulls. After that winning streak they finished the year 16-63, including a 26 game losing streak. The intentional tanking of the 76ers has arguably led to the discussions of reforming the entire lottery system. There are different philosophies around the league with some owners content to fight for a playoff spot but have no real shot at winning a championship, and others who are willing to go through a long rebuilding process in the hopes of getting the next superstar in the draft. The Thunder/Sonics are an example of a team that was able to draft Durant, Westbrook and Harden en route to a finals appearance against the Heat, while the Timberwolves have struck out on top picks such as Jonny Flynn, Wesley Johnson and Derrick Williams leading to a decade long playoff drought and having to trade Kevin Love.

In a few years we will see if Sam Hinkie’s strategy has been ingenious (rebuilding the team with high draft picks Michael Carter-Williams, Nerlens Noel, Joel Embiid, Dario Saric and another top pick in the 2015 draft), or misguided as these players develop bad habits on a losing team and none of them are able to develop into elite level players. Barring Embiid’s return to the court late in the season, it appears that the most intriguing part of the their season will be his Twitter account.

Will Ricky Rubio prove himself worthy of a max contract?

Ricky Rubio will need to emerge as a leader and more efficient scorer to justify a max-level contract from the Wolves

Ricky Rubio’s flair and unique passing ability make him one of the most enjoyable players in the league to watch from a pure basketball standpoint. His inability to shoot and finish around the rim also makes him a very frustrating player to watch. Regardless of his inability to score the ball efficiently his passing and defensive abilities as an active 6’4 point guard make him a highly valuable player; but just how valuable is the question the T’wolves are trying to answer. Barring a deal getting done soon, Ricky Rubio will enter this season headed for restricted free agency at the end of the year. The Timberwolves have reportedly offered 4 years and $48 million but Rubio and his agent are holding out for the 5 year max. This is understandable from a leverage standpoint given the salary cap increases that the NBA will see due to the huge new TV deal. Everyone will point to Rubio’s poor jump shooting as a reason for concern but his field goal percentage is being impacted even more by his inability to finish at the rim (where he shot just 48% in the restricted area). Rubio’s lack of strength and athleticism prevents him from finishing through and around contact at the rim. He has put on more weight but still needs to add a floater and an in between game to start to fulfill his potential as a scorer. Rubio is an 80% career free throw shooter so if he is able to get to the line more and even slightly improve his jump shooting/finishing abilities, he will be able to coax more than $12 million a year from the Timberwolves.

How many points per game will the Lakers allow?

The dirty secret about the Lakers and Kobe Bryant since their 2010 title is that they have been unable to find a star willing to play alongside Kobe Bryant. Dwight Howard was willing to take a pay cut to leave Los Angeles and the Lakers have been unable to use their cap space on a real star to pair with Kobe. This season their haul included the likes of second tier players Carlos Boozer and Jeremy Lin. The Lakers have already shown an aversion to shooting three pointers in the preseason and it is hard to imagine them being able to stop anyone with their current roster. It is important to not overrate preseason statistics but giving up 119 points to the Utah Jazz is not a positive sign for this Lakers team. Watching Kobe jack up 25 shots a game while shooting another 25 death stares at teammates will make the Lakers an entertaining team even if it doesn’t translate into success. They also have a top 5 protected pick belonging to the Suns meaning they will have an incentive to lose games at the end of the season no matter how much Kobe is averse to it.

Other intriguing storylines I will be watching during the season:

-How close will Derrick Rose be to his MVP self and can the Bulls challenge the Cavs in a top heavy Eastern Conference?

-In a deep Western Conference, will the Suns (and their high scoring offense), Pelicans (with Anthony Davis making the leap) or Nuggets (with the return of Danilo Gallinari) be able to make the playoffs over the returning strong 8 playoff teams from last year?

-Will the super talented Giannis Antetokounmpo make a leap in his second year alongside Rookie of the Year candidate Jabari Parker?

-How will Stan Van Gundy find lineups to play Andre Drummond, Josh Smith and Greg Monroe but not simultaneously?

-Will Al Horford and Rajon Rondo put contending teams over the top at the trade deadline?

-Will DeMarcus Cousins make his first All-Star game coming off his Team USA success?

]]>http://www.prosportsblogging.com/2014/10/21/5-intriguing-storylines-for-the-2014-2015-nba-season/feed/0Tracy McGrady’s case for the Hall of Famehttp://www.prosportsblogging.com/2013/08/30/tracy-mcgradys-case-for-the-hall-of-fame/
http://www.prosportsblogging.com/2013/08/30/tracy-mcgradys-case-for-the-hall-of-fame/#commentsFri, 30 Aug 2013 16:36:24 +0000Jonathan Fawkeshttp://www.prosportsblogging.com/?p=101003If someone told me in 2004 that Tracy McGrady’s retirement would be an afterthought announced as a non-story in front of the immortal Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless, then I would have been nothing short of shocked. Coming off back to back scoring titles and at the peak of his game, McGrady was one [...]]]>

If someone told me in 2004 that Tracy McGrady’s retirement would be an afterthought announced as a non-story in front of the immortal Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless, then I would have been nothing short of shocked. Coming off back to back scoring titles and at the peak of his game, McGrady was one of the best players in the league. Ultimately his career did not live up to these lofty expectations because of his lack of postseason success, but I will examine this after stating the following facts:

•Every player with 18,000 points, 5,000 rebounds, 4,000 assists and 1,000 steals is in the Hall of Fame. Even with the injuries de-railing his career McGrady finished with 18,381 points, 5,276 rebounds, 4,161 assists, and 1,136 steals.

Those stats alone should be enough to get him into the Hall of Fame, but the lack of postseason success will most likely delay the amount of time it takes for him to get his due. Keep in mind the disparity of talent between the teams he was on and had to play against in the playoffs:

2003-04: Lost in 7 games with Drew Gooden and Darrell Armstrong as two other best players to a Pistons team which won the championship the next year (had same team but added Rasheed Wallace to put them over the top).

2004-05: Lost in 7 games to a 58 win Mavericks team (Dirk, Michael Finley, Jason Terry, Josh Howard, Jerry Stackhouse off the bench) while T-Mac had Yao in his 2nd year and not much else (Bob Sura, Scott Padgett, David Wesley rounded out the starting lineup).

2005-06: Lost in 7 games to a Jazz team which made the West Finals, still didn’t have much of a team outside of T-Mac and Yao (Rafer Alston, Shane Battier, Chuck Hayes).

2007-08: Won 22 games in a row during the regular season but Yao was injured for the playoffs and they lost in 6 to the Jazz.

Yao and T-Mac missed a combined 205 games in a 5 year stretch from 04-09

It is impossible to discuss T-Mac’s career without using the word “if”, but if Grant Hill had stayed healthy and T-Mac and Yao were able to stay healthy at the same time then we would be looking at much a different legacy for T-Mac.

]]>http://www.prosportsblogging.com/2013/08/30/tracy-mcgradys-case-for-the-hall-of-fame/feed/0Assessing David Kahn’s Tenure as GMhttp://www.prosportsblogging.com/2012/07/30/assessing-david-kahns-tenure-as-gm/
http://www.prosportsblogging.com/2012/07/30/assessing-david-kahns-tenure-as-gm/#commentsTue, 31 Jul 2012 03:17:30 +0000Jonathan Fawkeshttp://www.prosportsblogging.com/?p=87230With one year left on his contract and the busiest offseason in Timberwolves history since the KG trade, it seemed a proper time to examine how David Kahn has transformed a Timberwolves roster of mismatched young players with potential into a team with realistic playoff aspirations. Kahn has undergone his fair share of scrutiny for [...]]]>

Kahn has made his fare share of blunders, such as the infamous 2009 Draft when he took 3 PGs in the first round

With one year left on his contract and the busiest offseason in Timberwolves history since the KG trade, it seemed a proper time to examine how David Kahn has transformed a Timberwolves roster of mismatched young players with potential into a team with realistic playoff aspirations.

Kahn has undergone his fair share of scrutiny for quotes such as describing the currently amnestied Darko Milicic as “manna from heaven“, drafting Syracuse busts Jonny Flynn and Wes Johnson over Steph Curry and DeMarcus Cousins, joking that the NBA Draft Lottery was fixed when Minnesota didn’t get the #1 pick, and even getting fined $50K by the NBA for saying that Michael Beasley “smoked too much marijuana”. Whether by by random luck or savvy decision making, Kahn has seemingly assembled a balanced roster which has depth and pre-season playoff aspirations for the first time since KG was traded. Without analyzing the seemingly never-ending and often questionable trades of both players and picks that Kahn has made, let’s see how he has been able to reshape the roster.

After letting Kevin McHale go and ending the failed Kurt Rambis experiment (32-132 record, worth every penny of the $8 million investment), Kahn was able to convince a well respected veteran coach, Rick Adelman, to come to Minnesota. Adelman’s age (66), coupled with owner Glen Taylor’s impending sale of the team, served as catalysts to shift the Timberwolves into a team with a win-now mentality, which could be seen as contradictory since it is such a young and talented team.

The talented Kirilenko and Shved were Russian teammates and cost the same as Nicholas Batum

The result of this new mentality and Adelman having a say in player personnel, led to the trade of the 18th pick in the first round for athletic swingman Chase Budinger who played under Adelman in Houston. Last year’s underwhelming bench players Michael Beasley, Anthony Randolph, Darko Milicic, Martell Webster, Brad Miller, and Wayne Ellington have been let go and upgraded to the athletic Budinger, the solid backup center in Greg Steimsma, the talented Russian guard Alexey Shved, and forward Dante Cunningham. The PG duties will be split between Shved, Luke Ridnour and JJ Barea until Rubio returns.

Although the hot pursuit of Nicholas Batum proved to be fruitless, instead of overpaying for the French swingman on a potentially crippling 4 year deal, the Wolves signed All-NBA defender and last years Euroleague MVP, Andrei Kirilenko, to a more reasonable 2 year/$20 million deal. Kirilenko’s signing will mean the talented Derrick Williams will need to prove his scoring abilities off the bench. It also will help the transition for the 23 year old Shved, who was teammates with Kirilenko last season in Russia.

Kahn took a big gamble on former All-Star Brandon Roy with 2 year $10 million deal, but if he can stay on the court even for 20-25 minutes a game, he will provide the scoring ability that Wes Johnson could not. With a starting lineup of Rubio, Roy, Kirilenko, Love and Pekovic, the Timberwolves have the potential to secure a playoff spot in the 6-8 range. Looking at the state of the Western Conference, the Spurs, Thunder, Lakers, Clippers, and Grizzlies are locks for the playoffs, with the Nuggets, Mavericks, Timberwolves, Jazz, and possibly Golden State competing for those last three playoff spots. The knees of Rubio and Roy will be very important for this team but with Love and Pekovic scoring at will, Kirlilenko and Rubio supplying playmaking and good perimeter defense, a deep bench, and a scoring punch from Roy and Williams, Kahn has assembled a legitimate playoff team.

Many never thought Rubio would play in Minnesota, but his talent and Kahn's free agency moves could make Wolves fans forget about his past mistakes

A year ago I would have though that there was no chance that Kahn would receive a contract extension (I’m not saying he should now), but coupling the development of Rubio, Pekovic and Love with solid free agent signings, Kahn has seemingly quieted many of his critics. Now the players just need to stay healthy and perform up to their potential.

]]>http://www.prosportsblogging.com/2012/07/30/assessing-david-kahns-tenure-as-gm/feed/4Optimism For The Wolves Despite 3-7 Starthttp://www.prosportsblogging.com/2012/01/13/optimism-for-the-wolves-despite-3-7-start/
http://www.prosportsblogging.com/2012/01/13/optimism-for-the-wolves-despite-3-7-start/#commentsFri, 13 Jan 2012 21:42:10 +0000Jonathan Fawkeshttp://www.prosportsblogging.com/?p=73856A casual fan may see the Timberwolves sitting at 3-7 and think that this will be yet another season where the Wolves will finish as one of the worst teams in the league — an understandable assumption since they haven’t won more than 33 games since the 2004-2005 season. But a quick look at their [...]]]>

A casual fan may see the Timberwolves sitting at 3-7 and think that this will be yet another season where the Wolves will finish as one of the worst teams in the league — an understandable assumption since they haven’t won more than 33 games since the 2004-2005 season. But a quick look at their schedule and team statistics (and maybe a sweet Ricky Rubio dime or two), will illuminate some justified reasons for optimism:

1. New Coach/Losing Winnable Games:

Besides a 21-point victory over the hapless Washington Wizards, the Wolves have seemingly played down to the level of their opponents in this young season, to a fault. They have lost winnable games to the Cleveland Cavaliers (5-5), Milwaukee Bucks (4-6), Memphis Grizzlies (4-6) and Toronto Raptors (4-7), by an average of just 5 points. In each game they were either winning or a basket away from being tied in the fourth quarter, besides an uninspired effort against the Cavs.

The NBA did the Wolves no favors with games against the Heat and Thunder right out of the gate

However, the Wolves also played some of the toughest teams in the NBA tight, with narrow defeats to the Thunder (tied with 1:37 to go) and Heat (up 3 with 1:07 left until a questionable LeBron and-1 call tied it up). After this tough defeat they beat the Mavericks by 17 and Spurs by 10 in impressive back-to-back games.

In retrospect it was safe to assume that they wouldn’t have beat two of the best teams in the NBA with such little practice time and a new coach, but they showed their potential by even having a chance to beat such high-caliber teams. With more practices under Rick Adelman the young team should gel and learn ways to pull out victories in the fourth quarter.

2. Statistics:

The two biggest positives for the Wolves statistically this season have been their improvement on defense and point differential. They are the only team in the NBA with a positive point differential and a sub-.500 record — a solid harbinger for future success and testament to the close games they have lost in the early season.

Defensively, they have improved from worst in the NBA last year (giving up a shocking 107.7 ppg) to 95.1 this year, a stark improvement which ties them with Memphis, Portland, and Milwaukee for 14th in the league.

Adelman will have his hands full with a young team that gave up 107 ppg, but improvements have been shown already

Offensively, they rank a respectable 12th in scoring at 95.4 ppg and 11th in 3-point percentage, but free throw shooting and turnovers have been issues. They rank second-to-last in the league with 17.6 turnovers a game and force only 14.3 turnovers. Adelman noticed the carelessness with the ball immediately when watching players in practice before the season started. With his stress on ball security, and players hopefully taking it to heart, the turnovers should decrease, leading to more scoring opportunities on offense and less transition buckets for opponents. In terms of free throw shooting, the positive is that the Wolves rank sixth in the league at 26.5 FT attempts per game. The negative is that those opportunities have been squandered, with an unacceptable 71.7 FT percent, ranking 22nd in the NBA. That number should improve, as the Wolves shot 77 percent last year and only added better free throw shooters like Barea and Rubio.

3. The Spanish Sensation

After only 10 games it seems apparent that the Wolves would not trade Rubio for John Wall in a trade straight up

Ricky Rubio deserves his own section because of his spectacular play which has led to him being the early favorite for Rookie of the Year. He leads the Wolves in plus-minus with a plus-52 overall, in assists at just under 8 per game and steals at 1.6 per game, all the while averaging just 29 minutes a game. The Wolves wanted to ease him into the NBA and temper expectations on the 21-year-old phenom, but from his first game it was clear that he was a fan favorite and invaluable asset to the team as a playmaker. His level of play has led to him leading all bench players in the NBA in terms of playing time at 29 minutes a game, as well as playing all but 70 seconds of each fourth quarter this season. He has posted double doubles in three of his past five games, and most recently led the Wolves on a 20-2 run against the Bulls where he compiled 7 assists in the 2nd quarter and scored or assisted on every bucket during the run. Rubio has also been much better than advertised as a shooter, picking his spots to the tune of a team leading .471 3PT% and is third on the team with a .463 FG%. With starters’ minutes (which will come very soon if he continues to play this well), Rubio could come very close to averaging a double-double as a 21 year old rookie, as he owns the third-best assist rate behind only Chris Paul and Steve Nash.

4. Injuries/Depth

With 66 games in 120 days due to the lockout-shortened season, it seemed reasonable to expect that injuries would occur and teams that were younger and had more depth would have an advantage. The Wolves are the youngest team in the NBA and have one of the best second units (Ricky Rubio, JJ Barea, Derrick Williams, Anthony Randolph, Anthony Tolliver), so this should seemingly give them an advantage during the compressed schedule.

Unfortunately the Wolves have already been bitten by the injury bug, with Michael Beasley spraining his foot, JJ Barea missing games due to a strained hamstring and ankle injury, as well as Martell Webster (back surgery), Brad Miller (knee surgery), rookie Malcolm Lee (knee surgery) having not yet been cleared to play this season. Beasley and Barea should be back within a week and Miller, Lee and Webster are expected back before the midpoint in the season. All three could prove to be important pieces for the bench. Webster can score and shoot 3′s, Miller is a 7-footer with a high basketball IQ whom Adelman has coached before, and Lee was promising in the preseason as a ball-handler and slasher on a team with a gaping hole at the 2-guard.

A slimmed down Kevin Love has been the most productive PF in the league averaging 24 and 15, but he can't do it all alone

The final and most glaring problem for the Wolves has been the play of the starters besides Kevin Love and Luke Ridnour. Wes Johnson was able to average 10 points as a rookie and showed promise, but has seemingly lost his confidence and is currently shooting an abysmal 35% as he struggles to keep his starting position. Beasley averaged 19.2 ppg and shot 45% last year but was shooting just 39% from the field and a ghastly 44% from the FT line before he sprained his foot. Darko has been predictably inconsistent, but at least last year he could be counted on for two blocks a game whereas this year he is only averaging 0.8 a contest. The inconsistencies from the starters has left the Wolves in holes early in games which Rubio has often been able to dig them out of, but it is not a recipe for success when your second unit is playing better than your first.

Wes Johnson and Beasley must play up to their potential if the Wolves want to be more consistent

As the team gets to practice and play more together under Adelman, it will improve both offensively and defensively. The turnovers will come down and free throw shooting will improve, because it cannot get much worse. Ricky Rubio and Derrick Williams will both see increased playing time, and they could prove to be a dynamic duo for years to come. Beasley and Wes Johnson will hopefully start playing up to their potential, and as the Wolves get healthier and develop chemistry they should hover closer to the .500 mark. With these improvements they can possibly contend for the 8th spot in the Western Conference which is shaping up to be a wide open and competitive race — giving hope to a franchise that so desperately needs it.

]]>http://www.prosportsblogging.com/2012/01/13/optimism-for-the-wolves-despite-3-7-start/feed/0Ben Revere Makes Catch of The Yearhttp://www.prosportsblogging.com/2011/08/23/ben-revere-makes-catch-of-the-year/
http://www.prosportsblogging.com/2011/08/23/ben-revere-makes-catch-of-the-year/#commentsTue, 23 Aug 2011 21:25:34 +0000Jonathan Fawkeshttp://www.prosportsblogging.com/?p=60544Ben Revere has been a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing season for the Twins. He has shown tremendous range in the outfield and has made many spectacular catches on the run. Last night he found a way to top them all while doing his best Spider-Man/Willie Mays impression: Revere’s incredible catch Revere has been a top [...]]]>

Ben Revere has been a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing season for the Twins. He has shown tremendous range in the outfield and has made many spectacular catches on the run. Last night he found a way to top them all while doing his best Spider-Man/Willie Mays impression:

Revere has been a top prospect in the Twins organization for a few years and injuries have allowed the 23 year old to prove that he can start for the Twins in 2012 and beyond. Although his OBP has hovered around .300 for the season he has been consistently getting hits all season (80 hits in 85 games played), and his speed on the base paths has helped him score 44 runs and steal 23 bases on 30 attempts. Extrapolate those numbers to a full 162 game season and he has the potential to score 100 runs and steal 50 bases, ideal numbers for a leadoff hitter or in the 2 hole behind Denard Span.

Revere's spectacular catch was just another example of the stellar defense and excitement he brings to the Twins

Span has struggled with symptoms from his concussion earlier in the season and could be out for the rest of the year as a precautionary measure. Span and Revere could make a very nice 1-2 combination at the top of the lineup and their speed would offer ample RBI opportunities for Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau in the 3 and 4 spots.

The Twins will have to decide whether or not Revere will take Span’s spot in CF, or one of the corner OF spots instead. Both players have great range and weak arms, with Span’s arm being a little stronger. Either way, this leaves the Twins with one more open OF spot which could be filled by free agents Michael Cuddyer or Jason Kubel. Cuddyer was voted the Twins only All-Star because of their plethora of injuries, and has enjoyed his best season since ’06 with a current line of .297/.364/.491. Cuddyer does not have great range in the outfield but he has one of the best arms in the MLB and is a leader in the clubhouse who is very versatile (illustrated by his ability to play OF, 1B, and 2B this year). He will also be turning 33 in March and a deal of 3 or more years could come back to bite the Twins.

Kubel will serve the Twins better as a DH and 4th outfielder who has been one of the Twins most consistent hitters and was on pace to be their All-Star this year before going down with a foot injury. These are just a few of the important decisions the Twins will have to make this offseason to be competitive again in 2012.

Matt Capps and Joe Nathan are also set to be free agents, with Glen Perkins looking to be the heir apparent as closer unless Nathan is willing to settle for less money than his $12.5 million team option. The Twins will have decisions to make in terms of their starting pitching which has been their biggest weakness this season.

Francisco Liriano has been incredibly inconsistent even by his standards but still has the best stuff on the pitching stuff. Scott Baker has been easily the Twins most consistent pitcher with a 3.21 ERA and 1.19 WHIP, but time on the DL has limited him to just 21 starts. Brian Duensing could be better served by moving back into the bullpen where he was very succesful in the past, possibly adding some speed to his fastball à la Glen Perkins who regularly throws 96 mph now after topping out around 93 as a starter. Carl Pavano has shown that he can be a consistent innings eater and will finish the season around 200 IP with a respectable ERA in the mid or low 4′s. Nick Blackburn has a staggering 1.60 WHIP and needs to be replaced by a free agent in the off-season.

For now the Twins will get to evaluate some young talent as the season winds down and hopefully see more consistent production from Mauer and Morneau to build confidence going into next season.

]]>http://www.prosportsblogging.com/2011/08/23/ben-revere-makes-catch-of-the-year/feed/2Delmon Young Traded to Tigershttp://www.prosportsblogging.com/2011/08/15/delmon-young-traded-to-tigers/
http://www.prosportsblogging.com/2011/08/15/delmon-young-traded-to-tigers/#commentsTue, 16 Aug 2011 02:31:12 +0000Jonathan Fawkeshttp://www.prosportsblogging.com/?p=59903On a day when Delmon Young was traded to the Tigers after a disappointing 2011 season, Jim Thome put the that story to shame by launching his 599th and 600th home runs en route to a much needed Twins victory over the Tigers. It is seeminly impossible to find a negative story about Jim Thome, who is [...]]]>

On a day when Delmon Young was traded to the Tigers after a disappointing 2011 season, Jim Thome put the that story to shame by launching his 599th and 600th home runs en route to a much needed Twins victory over the Tigers.

It is seeminly impossible to find a negative story about Jim Thome, who is heralded as a genuine class act and regarded as one of the nicest people in all of baseball. Thome joins the exclusive 600th home run club as its 8th member, with three of those members being tainted by PEDs (Sammy Sosa, Alex Rodriguez, and Barry Bonds).

Jim Thome has become just the 5th member of the "non-PED 600 home run club"

Thome will add it to the list of his career accomplishments which include being the only player besides “A-Roid” to hit 40 home runs for three different teams, holding the Indians single season home run record at 52, and the White Sox single season home run record for a left hander at 42. Thome also boasts a gaudy .403 career OBP and .557 career slugging percentage.

The 3000 hit club has 28 members but the celebration for Derek Jeter made it seem as if he was the first member to join it. Thome’s 600th home run has not received as much press due to several factors but namely the fact that Minnesota is not nearly the same market as New York and the Twins disappointing season has not helped them garner attention around the team.

The story of lesser note was that Delmon Young was claimed on waivers by the Tigers and the Twins have received lefty Cole Nelson and a player to be named later in the deal. They also saved about $1 million that Young was due for the rest of this season. Cole Nelson is a 6’7 left hander who is just 22 years old, but currently has a 4.87 ERA and 1.64 WHIP in single A. Nelson was selected in the 10th round of last years draft, and has the body to be a major leaguer. Bottom line is that the Twins were not going to pay Delmon Young upwards of $6 or $7 million with the plethora of everyday outfielders on the potential 2012 roster (Denard Span, Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kubel, Ben Revere).

The Twins are sellers at this point in the season and will need to sweep the Tigers in order to have a chance at catching them in September. That will be especially difficult since they have to face Justin Verlander tomorrow.

]]>http://www.prosportsblogging.com/2011/08/15/delmon-young-traded-to-tigers/feed/0Evaluating The Vikings Off-Season Moveshttp://www.prosportsblogging.com/2011/08/11/evaluating-the-vikings-off-season-moves/
http://www.prosportsblogging.com/2011/08/11/evaluating-the-vikings-off-season-moves/#commentsThu, 11 Aug 2011 19:07:21 +0000Jonathan Fawkeshttp://www.prosportsblogging.com/?p=59450As evidenced by their 25th rank in the preseason Power Rankings on ESPN, the Vikings enter the 2011 season with lower expectations than past years when they had a certain quarterback who wore #4. The lockout shortened offseason was particularly detrimental to a Vikings team which has a new head coach (Leslie Frazier), new offensive [...]]]>

As evidenced by their 25th rank in the preseason Power Rankings on ESPN, the Vikings enter the 2011 season with lower expectations than past years when they had a certain quarterback who wore #4. The lockout shortened offseason was particularly detrimental to a Vikings team which has a new head coach (Leslie Frazier), new offensive coordinator (Bill Musgrave), and a new QB (Donovan McNabb) to go along with a rookie QB (Christian Ponder).

The Vikings did not have very much cap room due to the new CBA salary cap of $120 million since they already had many veterans under contract. Minnesota was forced to carefully choose the players they would add, as well as get rid of some players to clear up cap space. The off-season moves are indicative of how the Vikings feel about their strengths and weaknesses, as well as their opinion of returning players on their roster.

As stated in my previous article on the Vikings off-season priorities, I thought that Donovan McNabb would be the best fit for the Vikings in 2011. In terms of risk to reward, the Vikings gave up very little to acquire the 34 year old 6 time Pro Bowler. McNabb has undergone much scrutiny and been second guessed repeatedly in his career and whether you believe it has been fair or not, his play on the field speaks for itself. People forget that 2009 was actually statistically one of his best and most efficient seasons (22 TD’s and a 92.9 QB rating in 14 games) before they lost to the Cowboys in the first round (McNabb’s only first round playoff loss in his career). As the quarterback, McNabb received an unfair amount of criticism when he was not responsible for the defense giving up 34 points, poor offensive line play, or turnovers by Michael Vick and Leonard Weaver in that game.

McNabb will give the Vikings more efficient play from the quarterback position than #4 could last year

After the 2009 season McNabb was traded to a putrid Washington Redskins team where he clashed with head coach Mike Shanahan and had few offensive weapons to go along with a shoddy offensive line. McNabb’s 2010 season was not pretty but he comes into a much better situation in Minnesota with a chip on his shoulder, an improved offensive line and playmakers such as Percy Harvin and Adrian “All Day” Peterson that he did not have in Washington. McNabb also got signed to a very reasonable 1 year $5 million contract with $2 million in incentives, which will motivate him to play for his next contract and prove that he is not done yet. While he will have to learn a new offense on the fly due to the lack of training camp, the Vikings should end up receiving more efficient quarterback play from McNabb this year than what they got from Favre last year.

2. Re-signed Ryan Longwell to 4 year/$12 million with $3.5 million guaranteed

An important singing for a valuable player who has a 93.5% success rate on FG’s in the past 2 years. The only knock on him was his distance on kickoffs, but with the ball moved up to the 35 yard line this year that shouldn’t be much of a problem.

This signing meant the release of Jimmy Kennedy (saved $2.5 million against cap) and most likely the end of Pat Williams’ tenure on the Vikings. It was a pleasure to see big Pat plug up running lanes for all these years and the hope is that Ayodele can do his best Pat Williams impression as the starting NT.

4. Signed WR Michael Jenkins to a 3 year deal, WR Devin Aromashodu to 1 year deal, and re-structured WR Bernard Berrian’s contract

While I was hoping that the Vikings were going to make a bigger splash at WR, Jenkins offers them solid veteran WR who is a great run blocker and has familiarity with the offense playing under Musgrave in Atlanta. Jenkins is 6-4 and 214 pounds so he gives the Vikings a good red zone target to complement the speed of Percy Harvin and Bernard Berrian. The Vikings did not want to match the $41 million ($18.5 guaranteed) that Seattle gave the injury prone Sidney Rice, and Jenkins will provide a solid red zone target for a bargain price. The Vikings also restructured Bernard Berrian’s contract so he is a free agent at the end of the season. Hopefully this will motivate him to play well for his next contract but I’m going to temper my own expectations. Aromashodu will likely be the 4th or 5th WR but he has some big play ability.

Maybe if McKinnie did more of this during the lockout then he would still be on the Vikings

In the most surprising move of the off-season the Vikings cut underachiever Bryant McKinnie who was doing his best Fat Albert impression, apparently weighing in at over 400 pounds and had very high cholesterol. While McKinnie did save the Vikings $5.65 million against the cap, replacing a starting LT is never easy. The 6-4 305 pound Johnson did start at LT for the Colts last year in protection of Peyton Manning, and has been successful at Guard as well. It seems that Johnson is more suited to play Guard than Tackle but the Vikings may be forced to play him at LT unless Phil Loadholt moves from RT to LT. Offensive line was a problem in 2010 and is my biggest concern for the 2011 Vikings, with starting RG Anthony Herrera already unsure of whether or not he will be able to start the season.

6. Signed LB Erin Henderson to a 1 year/$1.2 million deal, Safety Husain Abdullah to a 1 year/$1.835 million deal, and cut Safety Madieu Williams

Abdullah and Henderson were both restricted free agents who look to be starters in 2011. Abdullah was the Vikings most consistent safety in 2010 with 75 tackles and 3 INT’s, and Erin Henderson is fighting for the starting job at weak-side LB next to his brother EJ. Safety Madieu Williams has been a huge disappointment with the Vikings and by cutting him they saved $3.5 million against the cap. The other starting safety job will be a competition between the hard hitting Jamarca Samford, and Tyrell Johnson who is better in coverage.

Harvin has come to camp 10 pounds lighter and looks even quicker as the Vikings new #1 receiver

As I stated previously, the Vikings were not overly active in free agency because of their cap situation, but they made some important personnel moves that should help them in 2011. On offense getting McNabb will be instrumental in getting solid quarterback play from a team that will already be relying heavily on Adrian Peterson in the running game. Musgrave has come out and said that Peterson will be involved more in the passing game, something I have been clamoring for since his rookie year. As long as the Vikings can get the ball into playmakers hands like Harvin, Peterson, and hopefully a motivated Berrian, their offense will be productive. McNabb will also have safety nets like TE’s Visanthe Shiancoe, rookie Kyle Rudolph, and veteran WR Michael Jenkins.

Defensively the Vikings still have great veterans such as Antoine Winfield and Cedric Griffin as the starting corners, Chad Greenway and EJ Henderson at linebacker, Jared Allen and Kevin Williams on the defensive line. These veterans can still all play at a high level, but the Vikings will need younger players like Erin Henderson at LB, Chris Cook as the nickel CB, Brian Robison to replace Ray Edwards, and whoever wins the starting safety job to play at competent levels and make plays for the defense. I will have more to report as the preseason gets underway and I look forward to watching football once again.

]]>http://www.prosportsblogging.com/2011/08/11/evaluating-the-vikings-off-season-moves/feed/0Twins End Losing Streak And Welcome Back Morneauhttp://www.prosportsblogging.com/2011/08/11/twins-end-losing-streak-and-welcome-back-morneau/
http://www.prosportsblogging.com/2011/08/11/twins-end-losing-streak-and-welcome-back-morneau/#commentsThu, 11 Aug 2011 16:12:48 +0000Jonathan Fawkeshttp://www.prosportsblogging.com/?p=59420On the heels of a 6 game losing streak during a disappointing injury riddled season, the Twins were in need of a boost. Nick Blackburn out dueled Jon Lester and the Twins scored 3 in the ninth after giving up their lead like they had in the first two games against Boston. Jim Thome did not hit HR number 599, but [...]]]>

On the heels of a 6 game losing streak during a disappointing injury riddled season, the Twins were in need of a boost. Nick Blackburn out dueled Jon Lester and the Twins scored 3 in the ninth after giving up their lead like they had in the first two games against Boston.

Jim Thome did not hit HR number 599, but he did deliver the game winning RBI double to put the Twins ahead for good. Joe Nathan then closed the door for his 255th save, passing Rick Aguilera to become the Twins all time saves leader.

This was a necessary win to preserve a seemingly lost season (9.5 games back of Detroit), but the Twins received good news in that Justin Morneau and Alexi Casilla will both be returning on Friday at Cleveland.

With the returns of Morneau and Casilla, the Twins will finally have their opening day starting lineup healthy

Alexi Casilla was playing great defense and getting on base in the 2 hole (.385 OBP in his past 10 games). Morneau was 9-22 (.409) with four doubles in his rehab stint and should give the Twins a huge boost in the clean up role.

Unfortunately the Twins most consistent pitcher Scott Baker was placed on the DL with a strained flexor muscle in his right elbow, and Kevin Slowey has been called up to start in his place. Slowey will have the chance to prove that he can be a solid starting pitcher once again, whether or not it is for the Twins or another team.

The Twins have a critical 6 games coming up with 3 at Cleveland and then 3 at Detroit. They must win both series’ if they want to have a chance at making another late season comeback.

]]>http://www.prosportsblogging.com/2011/08/11/twins-end-losing-streak-and-welcome-back-morneau/feed/0Twins Welcome Back Denard Spanhttp://www.prosportsblogging.com/2011/08/01/twins-welcome-back-denard-span/
http://www.prosportsblogging.com/2011/08/01/twins-welcome-back-denard-span/#commentsMon, 01 Aug 2011 18:55:59 +0000Jonathan Fawkeshttp://www.prosportsblogging.com/?p=58405The Twins were very quiet at the trade deadline because according to GM Bill Smith, “I’d rather make no deal than a bad deal.” While this is an inarguable point the Twins are a team with a surplus of outfielders with Delmon Young, Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kubel, Ben Revere and Denard Span. Luckily Cuddyer can [...]]]>

The Twins were very quiet at the trade deadline because according to GM Bill Smith, “I’d rather make no deal than a bad deal.” While this is an inarguable point the Twins are a team with a surplus of outfielders with Delmon Young, Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kubel, Ben Revere and Denard Span.

Luckily Cuddyer can play first while Justin Morneau is still rehabbing from his neck surgery and Jason Kubel can DH so that Young’s bat can stay in the lineup. The Twins are off today while Denard Span plays his last scheduled rehab start and is then expected to join the team on Tuesday in Anaheim.

Span was the subject of trade rumors for closer Drew Storen, but ultimately the Twins decided to keep their steady lead-off man and starting CF

Ron Gardenhire has already stated that Span will immediately relinquish his role as the lead-off man and starting CF for the Twins, moving Ben Revere into a fourth OF/pinch runner position. Span will act as a mid-season acquisition for the Twins who will need production from the top of the order with Alexi Casilla recently going on the DL because of a strained hamstring, and Ben Revere’s underwhelming .300 OBP in the lead-off spot.

Hopefully Span can get on base more consistently to give RBI opportunities to Joe Mauer who hit .356 in July. Scoring more runs will help the Twins climb out of the 7 game hole they have put themselves in due to shaky starting pitching since the All-Star break.

Bill Smith did note that the Twins could be active in making some moves in the August waiver deadline, possibly involving incumbent free agents Jason Kubel and Delmon Young. While it can discouraging to see the Tigers adding Doug Fister and the Indians Ubaldo Jimenez, there are still plenty of games left for the Twins to make another late season surge in the AL Central.

]]>http://www.prosportsblogging.com/2011/08/01/twins-welcome-back-denard-span/feed/0Vikings Off-Season Prioritieshttp://www.prosportsblogging.com/2011/07/25/vikings-off-season-priorities/
http://www.prosportsblogging.com/2011/07/25/vikings-off-season-priorities/#commentsMon, 25 Jul 2011 20:51:14 +0000Jonathan Fawkeshttp://www.prosportsblogging.com/?p=57625It’s about time that we are able to talk some NFL. With the lockout finally over and an intense free agency period soon to come I wanted to outline what I think the Vikings priorities should be before the season starts. 1) Get a veteran QB: Christian Ponder is the QB of the future in [...]]]>

It’s about time that we are able to talk some NFL. With the lockout finally over and an intense free agency period soon to come I wanted to outline what I think the Vikings priorities should be before the season starts.

1) Get a veteran QB:

Christian Ponder is the QB of the future in Minnesota since they used the first round draft pick on him, but asking a rookie QB to take control of the offense, especially with the lack of preparation due to the lockout, is unreasonable and not in the best interest of the team winning this season (No, I don’t believe that the Vikings are in a “rebuilding” mode since they still have a roster to win now). The most likely options are either Donovan McNabb or Kyle Orton. While Orton statistically had a much better season I believe that he was more a product of a pass heavy offense which saw him pad his stats since the Broncos were often trailing in games and needed to pass more. McNabb will have playmakers like Adrian Peterson, Percy Harvin, Visanthe Shiancoe, and hopefully Sidney Rice at his disposal in Minnesota which is a great improvement than what he had in Washington. The Redskins have made it clear that John Beck is their QB and McNabb would be a smart short term move that would improve the Vikings this season.

2) Re-sign Sidney Rice:

This will depend largely on what type of offers other teams are willing to give an injury prone but talented receiver. Rice had his breakout year in 2009 with 1312 yards and 8 TDs with #4 as his QB. He remains a very good red zone target but injury concerns should scare teams from giving him a long term deal. Hopefully the Vikings can come up with a fair offer that is also very incentive laden in nature, but I would say it is 50-50 on whether or not Rice will be in a Vikings uniform this season. If not then the Vikings will have to find another receiver to replace him.

When Sidney Rice is on the field he can make incredible catches like this, but will the Vikes be able to re-sign him?

3) Release or re-structure Bernard Berrian’s contract

The Vikings are going to be $5.1 million over the new salary cap and will be making some financial maneuvers to get under. Berrian has a cap number of $6.3 million and did not have a TD last season so unless he is willing to take a large pay cut I don’t see how the Vikings can keep him.

4) Re-structure All Day’s contract

Adrian Peterson is the face of the franchise and as he enters the last year of his contract it is essential that they hammer out a long term deal. Also, his cap number of $12.8 million for 2011 gives the Vikings even more incentive to re-structure his contract so they have more cap relief this season and can backload some of his contract.

5) Re-sign Pat Williams

Although this unfortunately seems like the year that the Williams Wall will be suspended for 4 games, Pat Williams remains a great run defender and someone the Vikings should sign for this next season. Their run defense has always been a strength and even if Williams only plays on running downs he is very valuable to the defense.

6) Re-structure Chad Greenway’s contract

Greenway has been the Vikings leading tackler for the past three seasons and before the lockout they placed the franchise tag on him, making his cap hit $10 million for this season. Similar to Peterson, the Vikings want to sign him long term anyways, and their cap concerns make the need for restructuring his contract even more logical.

I have faith that Zygi Wilf will do what is best for the Vikings as he has shown his willingness to spend money and make the necessary moves to put the best product on the field. This free agency frenzy will be very interesting to follow and I look forward to seeing the Vikings make moves to improve their team in 2011 and beyond.